We’ll see there progress (or lack tgereof) post Covid..Wouldn’t mind bringing in a solid anchor if they can be found and hopefully still in their prime. Question is, who’s out there?
Division teams went heavy on defense and pass rush. Keeping Jones upright and giving him some time to throw while having a decent run game is my biggest worry. The backs don't make their own holes in the NFL. And if Jones gets nicked do we have a backup QB that can win a few games?
A d better than most fans. But they were trying to get Oline in a few spots but their guy was taken. Good fir them not panicking and teaching for the need.
Everyone needs to take a breathe and watch some old baldy breakdowns
is the line a settled unit? Of course not. But was any rookie going to change that? At best maybe a select few available at 11 from this draft even had a chance (AVT, Slater, Dickerson?). Thomas was rated better than any OL in this class other than Sewell and he had growing pains - as most rookies do.
The most likely path to OL improvement was through the development of the guys they put into the lineup last year. Thomas, Peart, Gates, Lemiuex especially. Not starting from scratch. Any draft pick would have been a more forward looking move and not likely to have significantly changed the outlook of this unit right now for next year.
As disappointing as it is that Hernandez hasn't proven to be worth a second contract yet in his 3 years has he ever been a liability? I'm indifferent on Fulton and would have preferred adding a stronger RG to let Lemieux and Hernandez compete for LG with the other 4 spots settled. But I can also understand wanting to give both of those players a chance to win starting spots.
Three of those guys were drafted last year. They are going to see what the young guys can do. Soldier and Fulton are veteran stop gaps. If one or more of these young players doesn’t pan out they’ll attack it next year with a more complete pre-draft process and the boatload of picks we have in the first four rounds.
RE: They have invested in the line quite a bit the past few years
Three of those guys were drafted last year. They are going to see what the young guys can do. Soldier and Fulton are veteran stop gaps. If one or more of these young players doesn’t pan out they’ll attack it next year with a more complete pre-draft process and the boatload of picks we have in the first four rounds.
that argument doesn't hold water. they've invested a ton of resources in the draft into the corner too. beal, baker, ballentine, holmes, love, other failed picks. but they knew the players they picked weren't good enough or weren't good period and keep on replenishing it until they get it right
RE: RE: They have invested in the line quite a bit the past few years
Three of those guys were drafted last year. They are going to see what the young guys can do. Soldier and Fulton are veteran stop gaps. If one or more of these young players doesn’t pan out they’ll attack it next year with a more complete pre-draft process and the boatload of picks we have in the first four rounds.
that argument doesn't hold water. they've invested a ton of resources in the draft into the corner too. beal, baker, ballentine, holmes, love, other failed picks. but they knew the players they picked weren't good enough or weren't good period and keep on replenishing it until they get it right
At some point you have to let the young players develop or you will just draft offensive lineman in 3-4 rounds every single year because you’ll never know what you actually have. We were 5-3 the second half of the season. The line started to gel and the run blocking improved quite a bit. Let’s build on that. Baker is crazy, and Beal is another story. Holmes and Love are active contributors on D.
RE: They have invested in the line quite a bit the past few years
Three of those guys were drafted last year. They are going to see what the young guys can do. Soldier and Fulton are veteran stop gaps. If one or more of these young players doesn’t pan out they’ll attack it next year with a more complete pre-draft process and the boatload of picks we have in the first four rounds.
It's actually quite a gamble - an OL with a lot of young, unproven parts trying to support a young franchise QB who finished his second year in mediocre fashion.
A lot could go wrong here. Especially if Jones turns out to be a QB who needs more support to be effective rather than a QB who has that precious gene to elevate his teammates...
RE: RE: They have invested in the line quite a bit the past few years
Three of those guys were drafted last year. They are going to see what the young guys can do. Soldier and Fulton are veteran stop gaps. If one or more of these young players doesn’t pan out they’ll attack it next year with a more complete pre-draft process and the boatload of picks we have in the first four rounds.
It's actually quite a gamble - an OL with a lot of young, unproven parts trying to support a young franchise QB who finished his second year in mediocre fashion.
A lot could go wrong here. Especially if Jones turns out to be a QB who needs more support to be effective rather than a QB who has that precious gene to elevate his teammates...
I’m not completely disagreeing with you, but the question becomes what picks that we made this year would we sacrifice to bring in other lineman?
We picked two edge rushers (big need), a corner that seemed to be coveted by our rivals (keep in mind we have to beat Dallas to have any chance at the playoffs and they are trotting out Cooper, Lamb, and Gallup every week) and a playmaking receiver that can do a variety of things and take advantage of teams double covering Golladay, etc.
The value has to be there with every pick. They must not have been enamored with any of the lineman where they were choosing this year.
RE: RE: RE: They have invested in the line quite a bit the past few years
Three of those guys were drafted last year. They are going to see what the young guys can do. Soldier and Fulton are veteran stop gaps. If one or more of these young players doesn’t pan out they’ll attack it next year with a more complete pre-draft process and the boatload of picks we have in the first four rounds.
that argument doesn't hold water. they've invested a ton of resources in the draft into the corner too. beal, baker, ballentine, holmes, love, other failed picks. but they knew the players they picked weren't good enough or weren't good period and keep on replenishing it until they get it right
At some point you have to let the young players develop or you will just draft offensive lineman in 3-4 rounds every single year because you’ll never know what you actually have. We were 5-3 the second half of the season. The line started to gel and the run blocking improved quite a bit. Let’s build on that. Baker is crazy, and Beal is another story. Holmes and Love are active contributors on D.
they just overdrafted holmes because he's not good enough. they also spent a ton of money in free agency on a corner with holmes and beal on the team and other young players like yiadom. same with love last year in the draft and free agency (he's the 4th safety on the team).
i'm not saying they shouldn't have done any of that at corner, quite the opposite I'm glad they did what they did.
but you can't tell me that hernandez showed more flashes than holmes. and lemieux wasn't some premium pick, he was picked in the 5th when holmes was a 4.
i'm just saying that argument doesn't hold water about the OL because i could make the same case about the secondary.
RE: RE: RE: RE: They have invested in the line quite a bit the past few years
Three of those guys were drafted last year. They are going to see what the young guys can do. Soldier and Fulton are veteran stop gaps. If one or more of these young players doesn’t pan out they’ll attack it next year with a more complete pre-draft process and the boatload of picks we have in the first four rounds.
that argument doesn't hold water. they've invested a ton of resources in the draft into the corner too. beal, baker, ballentine, holmes, love, other failed picks. but they knew the players they picked weren't good enough or weren't good period and keep on replenishing it until they get it right
At some point you have to let the young players develop or you will just draft offensive lineman in 3-4 rounds every single year because you’ll never know what you actually have. We were 5-3 the second half of the season. The line started to gel and the run blocking improved quite a bit. Let’s build on that. Baker is crazy, and Beal is another story. Holmes and Love are active contributors on D.
they just overdrafted holmes because he's not good enough. they also spent a ton of money in free agency on a corner with holmes and beal on the team and other young players like yiadom. same with love last year in the draft and free agency (he's the 4th safety on the team).
i'm not saying they shouldn't have done any of that at corner, quite the opposite I'm glad they did what they did.
but you can't tell me that hernandez showed more flashes than holmes. and lemieux wasn't some premium pick, he was picked in the 5th when holmes was a 4.
i'm just saying that argument doesn't hold water about the OL because i could make the same case about the secondary.
I think part of the issue, at least from my standpoint, is I grew up watching the NFL in the 80’s and 90’s when you had smash mouth football and it seemed like half the league had terrific offensive lines.
When you look at today’s NFL the line quality is just not there. Whether that’s due to the changes in the college offenses (eg. Spread) or the increased athleticism of defensive players I don’t know. But it’s rare to see teams with great lines anymore. And that carries over to the draft. Do you take the mediocre Guard in round 3 or do you take the athletic corner?
I thought they would take an interior lineman somewhere between round 2 and 4 this year but they clearly didn’t like what was there compared to what they have today. They may view Kyle Murphy as being a better prospect than some of the players we saw drafted today.
RE: RE: RE: They have invested in the line quite a bit the past few years
It's actually quite a gamble - an OL with a lot of young, unproven parts trying to support a young franchise QB who finished his second year in mediocre fashion.
A lot could go wrong here. Especially if Jones turns out to be a QB who needs more support to be effective rather than a QB who has that precious gene to elevate his teammates...
I’m not completely disagreeing with you, but the question becomes what picks that we made this year would we sacrifice to bring in other lineman?
We picked two edge rushers (big need), a corner that seemed to be coveted by our rivals (keep in mind we have to beat Dallas to have any chance at the playoffs and they are trotting out Cooper, Lamb, and Gallup every week) and a playmaking receiver that can do a variety of things and take advantage of teams double covering Golladay, etc.
The value has to be there with every pick. They must not have been enamored with any of the lineman where they were choosing this year.
It's more than the draft this weekend. I thought they missed opportunities in the first FA wave.
Just think about how much we have invested this offseason in defense. Big contracts for LW and Jackson, added Ragland and Odenigbo, and now a draft heavily focused on defense - 2 more corners and two more pass rushers.
Now, I get strengthening a strength - to a degree. But this defense that was already coming off a season where they finished top ten in PPG allowed.
This is a big, big bet that this OL is ready for prime time...
Hern was sick, The rooks got some great PT & exp. Solder back and could solidify RT or at least provide some guidance/leadership. Gates with another year or exp...the kid from URI (NE...haha) could step up. The guy we got via FA has a ton of starts. I believe in the OL.
RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: They have invested in the line quite a bit the past few years
Three of those guys were drafted last year. They are going to see what the young guys can do. Soldier and Fulton are veteran stop gaps. If one or more of these young players doesn’t pan out they’ll attack it next year with a more complete pre-draft process and the boatload of picks we have in the first four rounds.
that argument doesn't hold water. they've invested a ton of resources in the draft into the corner too. beal, baker, ballentine, holmes, love, other failed picks. but they knew the players they picked weren't good enough or weren't good period and keep on replenishing it until they get it right
At some point you have to let the young players develop or you will just draft offensive lineman in 3-4 rounds every single year because you’ll never know what you actually have. We were 5-3 the second half of the season. The line started to gel and the run blocking improved quite a bit. Let’s build on that. Baker is crazy, and Beal is another story. Holmes and Love are active contributors on D.
they just overdrafted holmes because he's not good enough. they also spent a ton of money in free agency on a corner with holmes and beal on the team and other young players like yiadom. same with love last year in the draft and free agency (he's the 4th safety on the team).
i'm not saying they shouldn't have done any of that at corner, quite the opposite I'm glad they did what they did.
but you can't tell me that hernandez showed more flashes than holmes. and lemieux wasn't some premium pick, he was picked in the 5th when holmes was a 4.
i'm just saying that argument doesn't hold water about the OL because i could make the same case about the secondary.
I think part of the issue, at least from my standpoint, is I grew up watching the NFL in the 80’s and 90’s when you had smash mouth football and it seemed like half the league had terrific offensive lines.
When you look at today’s NFL the line quality is just not there. Whether that’s due to the changes in the college offenses (eg. Spread) or the increased athleticism of defensive players I don’t know. But it’s rare to see teams with great lines anymore. And that carries over to the draft. Do you take the mediocre Guard in round 3 or do you take the athletic corner?
I thought they would take an interior lineman somewhere between round 2 and 4 this year but they clearly didn’t like what was there compared to what they have today. They may view Kyle Murphy as being a better prospect than some of the players we saw drafted today.
The offensive line also had no offseason last year with a bunch of inexperienced players. I’m guessing they feel like an offseason together, in the same system with a new coach is going to make for major improvement. I agree with them, to an extent. The question (to me) is will it be enough improvement? I would have been aggressive on day two to try and get another interior guy in the mix, personally.
RE: RE: RE: RE: They have invested in the line quite a bit the past few years
It's actually quite a gamble - an OL with a lot of young, unproven parts trying to support a young franchise QB who finished his second year in mediocre fashion.
A lot could go wrong here. Especially if Jones turns out to be a QB who needs more support to be effective rather than a QB who has that precious gene to elevate his teammates...
I’m not completely disagreeing with you, but the question becomes what picks that we made this year would we sacrifice to bring in other lineman?
We picked two edge rushers (big need), a corner that seemed to be coveted by our rivals (keep in mind we have to beat Dallas to have any chance at the playoffs and they are trotting out Cooper, Lamb, and Gallup every week) and a playmaking receiver that can do a variety of things and take advantage of teams double covering Golladay, etc.
The value has to be there with every pick. They must not have been enamored with any of the lineman where they were choosing this year.
It's more than the draft this weekend. I thought they missed opportunities in the first FA wave.
Just think about how much we have invested this offseason in defense. Big contracts for LW and Jackson, added Ragland and Odenigbo, and now a draft heavily focused on defense - 2 more corners and two more pass rushers.
Now, I get strengthening a strength - to a degree. But this defense that was already coming off a season where they finished top ten in PPG allowed.
This is a big, big bet that this OL is ready for prime time...
All of these guys played together last year. The only one that is somewhat new is Peart, who also got a bunch of reps in last year. Solder and Fulton are the experienced backups that can sub in if someone is struggling.
I’m not saying our line is great at this point by any means, but last year was the first time in probably 8 years that I actually saw our line push forward instead of being on their heels on the majority of running plays. That trend started in the mid point of the season. Gallman is a mediocre back and had some nice games the second half of the season.
When people look at stats and say we were in the bottom five in offensive line play last year it’s not really 100% accurate. I frankly haven’t had the time to research this on a game by game basis, but if you statistically compared the line (YPC, etc.) from week 1-8 vs. week 9-16 I would be amazed if there wasn’t an 8-10 spot jump in rankings.
Maybe we should just draft OL in the first round ever year
the team feels much better about the line than outsiders do. They weren't wrong about Gates, so I'm hoping they're right about Murphy and the development of Lemieux/Peart. Thankfully they have a ton of ammo for next draft to reinforce the line more if needed.
Also, I think the additions of Golladay and Toney (also Ross if he makes the team, and we may see a lot of 2-TE sets with Engram and Rudolph) will have a positive impact on the o-line as well. Then combine those additions with the return of a hopefully healthy Barkley and defenses have a little bit more to think about now.
That said, I think questioning the lack of moves is valid as it's still not a strength but I just think it's clear the team felt bolstering the skill positions and defense would benefit the team more-so. We'll find out soon if it was right or wrong.
The most likely path to OL improvement was through the development of the guys they put into the lineup last year. Thomas, Peart, Gates, Lemiuex especially. Not starting from scratch. Any draft pick would have been a more forward looking move and not likely to have significantly changed the outlook of this unit right now for next year.
As disappointing as it is that Hernandez hasn't proven to be worth a second contract yet in his 3 years has he ever been a liability? I'm indifferent on Fulton and would have preferred adding a stronger RG to let Lemieux and Hernandez compete for LG with the other 4 spots settled. But I can also understand wanting to give both of those players a chance to win starting spots.
I don't know how anyone can argue against the fact it's the unit on the team with the most question marks. Significant question marks.
but with all this draft capital for next year if the players fail this year they will have zero excuses not to fix it next year in the draft
i thought they drafted very well this year. there weren't many places where they were picking where i wish they picked a lineman
Hernandez: 2nd rounder
Peart: 3rd rounder
Lemieux: 5th rounder
Three of those guys were drafted last year. They are going to see what the young guys can do. Soldier and Fulton are veteran stop gaps. If one or more of these young players doesn’t pan out they’ll attack it next year with a more complete pre-draft process and the boatload of picks we have in the first four rounds.
Hernandez: 2nd rounder
Peart: 3rd rounder
Lemieux: 5th rounder
Three of those guys were drafted last year. They are going to see what the young guys can do. Soldier and Fulton are veteran stop gaps. If one or more of these young players doesn’t pan out they’ll attack it next year with a more complete pre-draft process and the boatload of picks we have in the first four rounds.
that argument doesn't hold water. they've invested a ton of resources in the draft into the corner too. beal, baker, ballentine, holmes, love, other failed picks. but they knew the players they picked weren't good enough or weren't good period and keep on replenishing it until they get it right
Quote:
Thomas: 1st rounder
Hernandez: 2nd rounder
Peart: 3rd rounder
Lemieux: 5th rounder
Three of those guys were drafted last year. They are going to see what the young guys can do. Soldier and Fulton are veteran stop gaps. If one or more of these young players doesn’t pan out they’ll attack it next year with a more complete pre-draft process and the boatload of picks we have in the first four rounds.
that argument doesn't hold water. they've invested a ton of resources in the draft into the corner too. beal, baker, ballentine, holmes, love, other failed picks. but they knew the players they picked weren't good enough or weren't good period and keep on replenishing it until they get it right
At some point you have to let the young players develop or you will just draft offensive lineman in 3-4 rounds every single year because you’ll never know what you actually have. We were 5-3 the second half of the season. The line started to gel and the run blocking improved quite a bit. Let’s build on that. Baker is crazy, and Beal is another story. Holmes and Love are active contributors on D.
Hernandez: 2nd rounder
Peart: 3rd rounder
Lemieux: 5th rounder
Three of those guys were drafted last year. They are going to see what the young guys can do. Soldier and Fulton are veteran stop gaps. If one or more of these young players doesn’t pan out they’ll attack it next year with a more complete pre-draft process and the boatload of picks we have in the first four rounds.
It's actually quite a gamble - an OL with a lot of young, unproven parts trying to support a young franchise QB who finished his second year in mediocre fashion.
A lot could go wrong here. Especially if Jones turns out to be a QB who needs more support to be effective rather than a QB who has that precious gene to elevate his teammates...
Quote:
Thomas: 1st rounder
Hernandez: 2nd rounder
Peart: 3rd rounder
Lemieux: 5th rounder
Three of those guys were drafted last year. They are going to see what the young guys can do. Soldier and Fulton are veteran stop gaps. If one or more of these young players doesn’t pan out they’ll attack it next year with a more complete pre-draft process and the boatload of picks we have in the first four rounds.
It's actually quite a gamble - an OL with a lot of young, unproven parts trying to support a young franchise QB who finished his second year in mediocre fashion.
A lot could go wrong here. Especially if Jones turns out to be a QB who needs more support to be effective rather than a QB who has that precious gene to elevate his teammates...
I’m not completely disagreeing with you, but the question becomes what picks that we made this year would we sacrifice to bring in other lineman?
We picked two edge rushers (big need), a corner that seemed to be coveted by our rivals (keep in mind we have to beat Dallas to have any chance at the playoffs and they are trotting out Cooper, Lamb, and Gallup every week) and a playmaking receiver that can do a variety of things and take advantage of teams double covering Golladay, etc.
The value has to be there with every pick. They must not have been enamored with any of the lineman where they were choosing this year.
Quote:
In comment 15249653 eric2425ny said:
Quote:
Thomas: 1st rounder
Hernandez: 2nd rounder
Peart: 3rd rounder
Lemieux: 5th rounder
Three of those guys were drafted last year. They are going to see what the young guys can do. Soldier and Fulton are veteran stop gaps. If one or more of these young players doesn’t pan out they’ll attack it next year with a more complete pre-draft process and the boatload of picks we have in the first four rounds.
that argument doesn't hold water. they've invested a ton of resources in the draft into the corner too. beal, baker, ballentine, holmes, love, other failed picks. but they knew the players they picked weren't good enough or weren't good period and keep on replenishing it until they get it right
At some point you have to let the young players develop or you will just draft offensive lineman in 3-4 rounds every single year because you’ll never know what you actually have. We were 5-3 the second half of the season. The line started to gel and the run blocking improved quite a bit. Let’s build on that. Baker is crazy, and Beal is another story. Holmes and Love are active contributors on D.
they just overdrafted holmes because he's not good enough. they also spent a ton of money in free agency on a corner with holmes and beal on the team and other young players like yiadom. same with love last year in the draft and free agency (he's the 4th safety on the team).
i'm not saying they shouldn't have done any of that at corner, quite the opposite I'm glad they did what they did.
but you can't tell me that hernandez showed more flashes than holmes. and lemieux wasn't some premium pick, he was picked in the 5th when holmes was a 4.
i'm just saying that argument doesn't hold water about the OL because i could make the same case about the secondary.
Quote:
In comment 15249658 GiantsFan84 said:
Quote:
In comment 15249653 eric2425ny said:
Quote:
Thomas: 1st rounder
Hernandez: 2nd rounder
Peart: 3rd rounder
Lemieux: 5th rounder
Three of those guys were drafted last year. They are going to see what the young guys can do. Soldier and Fulton are veteran stop gaps. If one or more of these young players doesn’t pan out they’ll attack it next year with a more complete pre-draft process and the boatload of picks we have in the first four rounds.
that argument doesn't hold water. they've invested a ton of resources in the draft into the corner too. beal, baker, ballentine, holmes, love, other failed picks. but they knew the players they picked weren't good enough or weren't good period and keep on replenishing it until they get it right
At some point you have to let the young players develop or you will just draft offensive lineman in 3-4 rounds every single year because you’ll never know what you actually have. We were 5-3 the second half of the season. The line started to gel and the run blocking improved quite a bit. Let’s build on that. Baker is crazy, and Beal is another story. Holmes and Love are active contributors on D.
they just overdrafted holmes because he's not good enough. they also spent a ton of money in free agency on a corner with holmes and beal on the team and other young players like yiadom. same with love last year in the draft and free agency (he's the 4th safety on the team).
i'm not saying they shouldn't have done any of that at corner, quite the opposite I'm glad they did what they did.
but you can't tell me that hernandez showed more flashes than holmes. and lemieux wasn't some premium pick, he was picked in the 5th when holmes was a 4.
i'm just saying that argument doesn't hold water about the OL because i could make the same case about the secondary.
I think part of the issue, at least from my standpoint, is I grew up watching the NFL in the 80’s and 90’s when you had smash mouth football and it seemed like half the league had terrific offensive lines.
When you look at today’s NFL the line quality is just not there. Whether that’s due to the changes in the college offenses (eg. Spread) or the increased athleticism of defensive players I don’t know. But it’s rare to see teams with great lines anymore. And that carries over to the draft. Do you take the mediocre Guard in round 3 or do you take the athletic corner?
I thought they would take an interior lineman somewhere between round 2 and 4 this year but they clearly didn’t like what was there compared to what they have today. They may view Kyle Murphy as being a better prospect than some of the players we saw drafted today.
It's actually quite a gamble - an OL with a lot of young, unproven parts trying to support a young franchise QB who finished his second year in mediocre fashion.
A lot could go wrong here. Especially if Jones turns out to be a QB who needs more support to be effective rather than a QB who has that precious gene to elevate his teammates...
I’m not completely disagreeing with you, but the question becomes what picks that we made this year would we sacrifice to bring in other lineman?
We picked two edge rushers (big need), a corner that seemed to be coveted by our rivals (keep in mind we have to beat Dallas to have any chance at the playoffs and they are trotting out Cooper, Lamb, and Gallup every week) and a playmaking receiver that can do a variety of things and take advantage of teams double covering Golladay, etc.
The value has to be there with every pick. They must not have been enamored with any of the lineman where they were choosing this year.
It's more than the draft this weekend. I thought they missed opportunities in the first FA wave.
Just think about how much we have invested this offseason in defense. Big contracts for LW and Jackson, added Ragland and Odenigbo, and now a draft heavily focused on defense - 2 more corners and two more pass rushers.
Now, I get strengthening a strength - to a degree. But this defense that was already coming off a season where they finished top ten in PPG allowed.
This is a big, big bet that this OL is ready for prime time...
Quote:
In comment 15249661 eric2425ny said:
Quote:
In comment 15249658 GiantsFan84 said:
Quote:
In comment 15249653 eric2425ny said:
Quote:
Thomas: 1st rounder
Hernandez: 2nd rounder
Peart: 3rd rounder
Lemieux: 5th rounder
Three of those guys were drafted last year. They are going to see what the young guys can do. Soldier and Fulton are veteran stop gaps. If one or more of these young players doesn’t pan out they’ll attack it next year with a more complete pre-draft process and the boatload of picks we have in the first four rounds.
that argument doesn't hold water. they've invested a ton of resources in the draft into the corner too. beal, baker, ballentine, holmes, love, other failed picks. but they knew the players they picked weren't good enough or weren't good period and keep on replenishing it until they get it right
At some point you have to let the young players develop or you will just draft offensive lineman in 3-4 rounds every single year because you’ll never know what you actually have. We were 5-3 the second half of the season. The line started to gel and the run blocking improved quite a bit. Let’s build on that. Baker is crazy, and Beal is another story. Holmes and Love are active contributors on D.
they just overdrafted holmes because he's not good enough. they also spent a ton of money in free agency on a corner with holmes and beal on the team and other young players like yiadom. same with love last year in the draft and free agency (he's the 4th safety on the team).
i'm not saying they shouldn't have done any of that at corner, quite the opposite I'm glad they did what they did.
but you can't tell me that hernandez showed more flashes than holmes. and lemieux wasn't some premium pick, he was picked in the 5th when holmes was a 4.
i'm just saying that argument doesn't hold water about the OL because i could make the same case about the secondary.
I think part of the issue, at least from my standpoint, is I grew up watching the NFL in the 80’s and 90’s when you had smash mouth football and it seemed like half the league had terrific offensive lines.
When you look at today’s NFL the line quality is just not there. Whether that’s due to the changes in the college offenses (eg. Spread) or the increased athleticism of defensive players I don’t know. But it’s rare to see teams with great lines anymore. And that carries over to the draft. Do you take the mediocre Guard in round 3 or do you take the athletic corner?
I thought they would take an interior lineman somewhere between round 2 and 4 this year but they clearly didn’t like what was there compared to what they have today. They may view Kyle Murphy as being a better prospect than some of the players we saw drafted today.
The offensive line also had no offseason last year with a bunch of inexperienced players. I’m guessing they feel like an offseason together, in the same system with a new coach is going to make for major improvement. I agree with them, to an extent. The question (to me) is will it be enough improvement? I would have been aggressive on day two to try and get another interior guy in the mix, personally.
Quote:
In comment 15249671 bw in dc said:
It's actually quite a gamble - an OL with a lot of young, unproven parts trying to support a young franchise QB who finished his second year in mediocre fashion.
A lot could go wrong here. Especially if Jones turns out to be a QB who needs more support to be effective rather than a QB who has that precious gene to elevate his teammates...
I’m not completely disagreeing with you, but the question becomes what picks that we made this year would we sacrifice to bring in other lineman?
We picked two edge rushers (big need), a corner that seemed to be coveted by our rivals (keep in mind we have to beat Dallas to have any chance at the playoffs and they are trotting out Cooper, Lamb, and Gallup every week) and a playmaking receiver that can do a variety of things and take advantage of teams double covering Golladay, etc.
The value has to be there with every pick. They must not have been enamored with any of the lineman where they were choosing this year.
It's more than the draft this weekend. I thought they missed opportunities in the first FA wave.
Just think about how much we have invested this offseason in defense. Big contracts for LW and Jackson, added Ragland and Odenigbo, and now a draft heavily focused on defense - 2 more corners and two more pass rushers.
Now, I get strengthening a strength - to a degree. But this defense that was already coming off a season where they finished top ten in PPG allowed.
This is a big, big bet that this OL is ready for prime time...
All of these guys played together last year. The only one that is somewhat new is Peart, who also got a bunch of reps in last year. Solder and Fulton are the experienced backups that can sub in if someone is struggling.
I’m not saying our line is great at this point by any means, but last year was the first time in probably 8 years that I actually saw our line push forward instead of being on their heels on the majority of running plays. That trend started in the mid point of the season. Gallman is a mediocre back and had some nice games the second half of the season.
When people look at stats and say we were in the bottom five in offensive line play last year it’s not really 100% accurate. I frankly haven’t had the time to research this on a game by game basis, but if you statistically compared the line (YPC, etc.) from week 1-8 vs. week 9-16 I would be amazed if there wasn’t an 8-10 spot jump in rankings.
Also, I think the additions of Golladay and Toney (also Ross if he makes the team, and we may see a lot of 2-TE sets with Engram and Rudolph) will have a positive impact on the o-line as well. Then combine those additions with the return of a hopefully healthy Barkley and defenses have a little bit more to think about now.
That said, I think questioning the lack of moves is valid as it's still not a strength but I just think it's clear the team felt bolstering the skill positions and defense would benefit the team more-so. We'll find out soon if it was right or wrong.
Judge apparently likes the OL room.